To Bloom In Confidence
by Kimi the Kenlei
Summary: SHOUJO-AI, InoHina, and fluff. Ino treats Hinata out for a bite to eat... Please read and review!


Hinata liked Naruto; that was simply a fact. But it wasn't like they were going out or anything… She looked elsewhere, too. Perhaps, even in places she really shouldn't be looking…

She looked at Tenten, especially when she scolded Lee. She always found it amusing that such a strong boy would be so scared of a girl. But, then again, Naruto was afraid of Sakura…

She looked at Sakura, too. The beautiful, pink haired kunoichi; the fighting cherry blossom. Few could deny her beauty(Except, perhaps, Sasuke. But Hinata had always gotten the impression that Sasuke didn't really like girls anyways…)

But, to be completely honest, Hinata had to admit that she had a bit of a thing for blondes. Especially confident ones. That's why she understood why she liked _her_ most out of all the girls…

Ino. Not the strongest kunoichi, but she was sure of herself, and a true friend, even if no one ever recognized it. Sure, she could be shallow, and rude, and—

"Hey, Hyuuga! Quit staring!"

…Surprisingly observant…

"S-Sorry, Ino-san!" She replied. Her meek tone got the other girl's attention, somehow, and she approached her. Hinata blushed madly; was the other girl angry at her?

"…You're so… Shy." The blonde stated, frowning slightly. Hinata nodded, not sure where this was going.

Ino rolled her eyes, "Do you wanna go get some ramen, or something?" She asked suddenly.

Hinata blinked, unable to blush any more than she already was, "Uh… Um…" Ino raised an eyebrow, putting the pressure on the dark haired girl. Hinata blurted, " O-Okay…"

Ino smirked, taking hold of the other girl's hand, "Cool. Let's go!"

"Wh-What? Right now? I thought you meant later… I have a mission to go to, and…"

"If I'm not mistaken, you're the kind of girl who's deathly afraid of being scolded for being late, so you always arrive far earlier than necessary." Hinata's eyes widened. She was right. "Don't worry!" She added, grinning, "I'll get you back on time."

The ramen shop she picked wasn't far, so Hinata didn't worry too much. Feeling self-conscious around the blonde, Hinata picked out an inexpensive item, since Ino had loudly insisted that it would be her treat. Ino frowned at her choice, but didn't say anything.

When the food arrived, Hinata shyly picked at it, taking small, slow bites and trying not to do anything that would warrant the use of a napkin or make any noises. It was highly uncomfortable and felt unnatural, but Hinata didn't want to look uncivilized in front of the other girl.

Ino rolled her eyes at this, "Oi, Hyuuga. I'm not a boy; you don't have to be embarrassed to be eating in front of me. Dig in!" Hinata's cheeks tinted red and she nodded, but her eating habits didn't change.

A few shy bites later, the darker girl mustered up her courage and beseeched, "…Ino-san?"

"Hmm?"

"Ah… Um…" She flushed a deep red, twiddling with her fingers, "…Y-You can call me Hi-Hinata, if you want!" She stated quickly, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

Ino blinked, then smiled, "Okay then… Hinata."

"…Ino-san?"

"Yeah?"

"U-Um… Not that I don't appreciate it… But why did you invite me out to eat like this?"

To Hinata's surprise, Ino smiled sadly, idly picking at her noodles with her chopsticks.

"I'm lonely…"

Hinata blinked, "But… What about Shikamaru-san and Chouji-san?"

"Shikamaru thinks it's too troublesome to go out and do something… And you just can't hold a decent conversation with Chouji, he's always too busy stuffing his face…" Ino sighed, "And, besides…" Ino blushed slightly as she contemplated her next words, causing Hinata to blink in surprise.

"Well…" She started, looking away, "… I miss the company of other girls…"

Hinata nodded in understanding, even though Ino couldn't see it with her head turned, and even though Hinata didn't _really_ understand. She'd never had many friends, after all.

"It's weird…" Ino started again, returning to picking at her food, "…How I always seem to attract shy girls like you… And Sakura." She chuckled a bit to herself, though it was obvious she wasn't amused, "It always bugged me how meek she was, so I tried to make her act more outgoing… And then when she did, she couldn't stand me anymore and wanted to my 'rival'!" He voice mocked the word and she laughed again; a short laugh that came out more like a sob, "And then I got mad at her…" She sighed raggedly and shoved the rest of her ramen away from her, putting her head in her arms.

"Ino-san…" Hinata mumbled apologetically, not knowing what else to do.

"I decided I was going to humor her, play the part of the rival, and best her…" She looked up at Hinata, a sad expression apparently on her features, but no tears, "In the end, I achieved what I had originally wanted to do… I saw Sakura bloom into a beautiful flower… But not before losing sight of my true goal… And a good friend."

Hinata hesitantly reached out and grasped the other girl's shoulder soothingly, "You didn't lose her, Ino-san. I think that, deep down, Sakura misses you too… And is grateful for what you did for her… And regrets how things had to be."

Ino blinked at her words, then smiled appreciatively and grasped her hand firmly, "Yeah…"

Hinata's heart thumped loudly at the feel of the other girl's soft, strong hand. But just as quickly as she had grasped it, she let go. Hinata couldn't help but regret the loss.

As soon as Hinata had finished, they got up and left, walking back to the location where Hinata was supposed to meet her team. As Ino had suspected, there was still no one there.

"Th-Thank you for treating me, Ino-san." Hinata said, bowing.

"Hey, no problem. I mean…" She blushed in embarrassment, pushing a stray lock of hair away from her face and behind her ear, "You did listen to me whine, so I guess we're even, eh?"

The Hyuuga girl shook her head, "It was no problem…"

Ino smiled, and, without warning, wrapped her arms around the blushing girl, pulling her into a warm, soft, secure embrace. Hinata's heart began to beat loudly again at the feel of the other girl's strong arms and pliant bosom. At first, the suddenness of it caused her to tense, unused to the feeling of another person being so close; but she quickly got used to it, deciding that she very much liked the feeling, and loosened, wrapping her arms around her waist and hugging her back.

"You're a very interesting blossom, Hinata-chan." She whispered, causing her to shiver slightly, "You'll be so beautiful… In full bloom."

She let go and stepped away, smiling at her warmly. Hinata smiled back, her face red and hot, and played with her fingers behind her back.

"Well, I better get going now!" She announced, "Bye!"

She turned to go, but Hinata blurted, "Ino-san, wait!"

Ino turned back to Hinata's direction, "Yeah?"

Mustering all remaining courage, Hinata walked up to the slightly taller girl and softly but quickly pressed her lips to her cheek. The smooth feel of her skin on her lips made Hinata shiver.

Ino blushed almost as red as Hinata and touched the cheek she had kissed with the tips of her fingers.

"Ino-san… Would you like to do something with me tomorrow?"

Ino's eyes lowered a bit and she smiled, "Tomorrow's no good. Thursday?"

Hinata nodded, still surprised by her own daring, "Okay."

Ino grinned, "Alright! See you later, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata waved as the girl began to walk away, feeling uncomfortably warm but with a strange, pleasant tingle in her heart and stomach.

Hinata couldn't help but noticed that, in a strange coincidence, Ino passed Naruto as she walked away. That her eyes only stayed on one of the blondes in question did not go overlooked by her, either.

…What a lovely blossom…

**Owari**

I'd like to make a few notes in closing. One, no offense to Chouji fans; I love him, too. Two, the title for this story was inspired by a lovely icon I once saw, so kudos to whoever made it. Finally, my apologies for those that believe that Ino and Hinata were acting a little out of character… It's was unavoidable, I'm afraid... Well, thank you very much for reading! Please review, I live for them.


End file.
